Review: Grungebuster CD Mat Herbie's Audio Lab Tweak

Category: Accessories

Model: Grungebuster CD Mat
Category: Accessory
Suggested Retail Price: $19.95
Description: CD Mat
Manufacturer URL: Herbie's Audio Lab
Model Picture: View

Review by blake (A) on July 26, 2003 at 17:26:44
IP Address: 129.100.4.76 Add Your Review
for the Grungebuster CD Mat

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First, let me state that I do not have a $3,000 digital front end and I do not know how this product will function with a really high end player. That being said, the tweaked DVD player that I use currently sounds better in my opinion than an Arcam Alpha 8SE which I sold a few years ago.

I have used an Audioprism CD Blacklight for a few years now with decent results. The improvements with the Blacklight were subtle, and I would use it regularly, except when CD or DVD playback simply would not function with it (as is the case with the Herbie's mat every once in a while).

I recently read a thread on Audiogon which stated that the Marigo mat was the best of the bunch. I have no experience with the Marigo simply because I didn't want to spring the $80 for it.

The Herbies mat is $20, not exactly a huge sum. I would highly recommend it, particularly for those with cheaper digital gear; whether it brings about as much of an improvement with higher end gear, I cannot say.

The "Grungebuster" is simply far superior to the Audioprism Blacklight. Audible improvements could easily be heard on music where vocals previously seemed to "trail off" and not be easily understood (Bob Dylan's Love and Theft and Emmy Lou Harris' Wrecking Ball for example). The Grungebuster imparts a clarity which was simply not there before with the Blacklight mat (which itself improves very slightly upon a nude CD). The good thing about this clarity is that it comes about without a "thinning out" of the performance. On the contrary, background becomes noticeably darker, instruments are more fleshed out, bass performance is slightly enhanced and the top end is noticeably cleaned up as well. One thing that I cannot stand is an increase in clarity that is accompanied with any lean aspect being applied to the music. This is not the case with the Grungebuster; in fact just the opposite occurs. Both Pat Methney's guitar and Charlie Haden's bass (Under the Missouri Sky) really filled out and have never sounded better in my system with the Grungebuster. On certain tracks (certainly not every one on every CD), I can actually hear info that I have not heard before. Ironically, this usually occurs in relatively quiet "solo" passages where there is a background accompanyment (hope that's spelled right, I doubt it) from one or two other instruments (Jimmy Smith's "Damn" comes to mind here).

In short, the Grungebuster lives up to its name, for all of $20. There is a newly found smoothness, a noticeable improvement from top to bottom (bass midrange and high frequencies) a removal of grain and edge, and a revelation of more musical info and increase in clarity.

Alas, there is also bad news (is anything perfect in audio?). On some CD's and DVD's the Grungebuster simply will not work. This also happened to me with the Blacklight, but the Grungebuster appears to be a little bit pickier still. Probably has something to do with the actual thickness of the CD, but on some, you will simply get persistent spinning and an inability for the player to start to read the CD or DVD. I've experienced this with a number of CD's that the Blacklight would not function with in the same manner as well as a rental DVD last night that came with an ID ring fixed around the centre hole. In the cases where it doesn't work, you simply stop your player, remove the buster and start over (with a slightly depressed feeling you're not going to receive its benefits).

I've only used it for 3 or 4 days now, and the other problem, if you can call it that, is putting it on the CD or DVD. I'm getting used to it, so it is certainly less of a problem, but the grungebuster is a bit of work to "install". It is very thin and slightly tacky on one side (which you are to fix to the label side of the CD before inserting). It is a bit of work to get it centered properly and the easiest way, by far, is to apply it with the CD/DVD still in its jewel case or container.

Whether this trouble is worth it to you, I don't know, but it is to me and I'll be continuing to use the grungebuster on everything I can. Definitely recommended, especially for $20.

Associated gear
See System under "blake's equipment" at Audioasylum

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Audioprism CD Blacklight